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Liaison psychiatry in detection and management of mental illness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Margaret Semple*
Affiliation:
Royal Dundee Liff Hospital, Liff by Dundee, DD2 5NF
David Brown
Affiliation:
Gartnavel Royal Hospital, Glasgow G12 0YN
Elizabeth Irvine
Affiliation:
Royal Dundee Liff Hospital, Liff by Dundee DD2 5NF
*
Margaret Semple, Consultant Psychiatrist, Hairmyres Hospital, East Kilbride G75 8RG
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Abstract

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Of 299 referrals to the Dundee general psychiatry liaison service over a six month period, deliberate self-harm (DSH) was the reason in 83%. An overdose was used in 94%, and alcohol misuse occurred in 56% of DSH episodes. Fifty-two per cent of referrals were followed up by the general psychiatry service; 31% of these were admitted directly to a psychiatric ward, 10% on a compulsory basis. At follow-up, 23% remained in contact with the Dundee psychiatric service. Twenty-three per cent of all patients referred to the Area Alcohol Service (AAS) were in contact with it six months later. Clearly, liaison psychiatry has a role in detection and management of significant mental disorder.

Type
Original Papers
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1996

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